


Stopover

by missymisery



Category: Mystery Skulls Animated, Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Angst, Arthur needs a hug, Depression, Gen, Hurt and comfort, Insomnia, Making This Up As I Go, Medical Inaccuracies, Mental Health Issues, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Steven doesnt know how to human, Steven needs a hug, Suicidal Thoughts, Trauma, hopefully i actually update lol, possibly ooc since i havent written any finished su fics and havent written msa for a while, self-hate, this isnt super angsty but considering arthur you can never be too sure
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-09
Updated: 2020-04-24
Packaged: 2021-03-01 21:15:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,598
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23563663
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/missymisery/pseuds/missymisery
Summary: Couple of months into the road, Steven finds himself at the desert town of Tempo. Of course, he’s not prepared for the supernatural baggage that came along with it, including a year old tragedy involving amnesia and robot arms and ghosts. Steven just wants a break.
Relationships: Arthur (Mystery Skulls Animated) & Steven Universe, Lewis/Vivi (Mystery Skulls Animated)
Comments: 25
Kudos: 126





	1. Tempo

Tempo was a sleepy little desert town smack dab in the middle of Texas.

With its sandy dunes and high desert mountaintops, it certainly served as a reminder to Steven that he was a little ways from home. Where Steven expected the calming lull of roaring ocean waves, he found silence. And in contrast to Beach City, Tempo almost had an air of death hanging over it, with dead plants and desert crops, unlike Beach City’s more vibrant selection of wildlife and flora courtesy of Steven’s natural affinity for horticulture.

However, despite the juxtaposition of this desert town with the town Steven grew up in, Steven still found the place almost... familiar.

It was something he’d noticed in the past few weeks, when he dropped by other rural areas like Tempo for a couple of days. No matter what state he was in, no matter what town or district, there was always this sense of family within each little town.

Every person knew each other and everyone had history, and it made him miss home a bit. Tempo was no different. Their sense of familiarity with one another made Steven miss the incessant if not annoying coddling of the Gems, miss the sigh on Peedee’s face when Steven inevitably arrived and ordered the usual, miss the faces of every single person at home. It didn’t bother him as much as it did the first few days, when he would wake up in a random motel room, feeling homesick as he stared out into the endless highway, missing the telltale scent of the ocean breeze and the sound of distant machinery coming from Little Homeworld.

At some point, he was starting to think maybe this journey of self discovery was a mistake and maybe he should just take the Dondai and hightail on back home. He told Connie this once, a few weeks ago over video call after a particularly raw therapy session, and she said that if he was only coming back because he was lonely, it wouldn’t do anyone any good. And she was right. As much as he missed home, he liked adventure, liked trying to find who he was outside of the diamond embedded in his stomach, outside of the Universe and Diamond name and what it meant.

Still, it didn’t mean he wouldn’t still feel lonely.

Steven took his bag and slung it over his shoulder, locking the motel door behind him as he stepped outside. The hot desert breeze greeted him, and Steven sighed, squinting at the sun.

“I really should’ve brought a cap with me,” He muttered, taking a step out into the pavement and heading into town.

There really wasn’t anything on Steven’s agenda for today, other than exploring. Really, that’s been what most of his plans are for anywhere he goes to. Pearl insisted he have a more rigid schedule to at least use as a basis if not follow it completely, but Steven was always more comfortable with spontaneity (at least, in the past. He was still trying to get used to change now). He found himself back at the doorstep of a local diner. There were other restaurants nearby, he knew, but this was the one he frequented. The waitress was more than familiar with him by now. He’d like to thank his own charm for that, except that if the roller rink was anything to go by, Steven’s social skills was notoriously bad when it comes to talking to humans and not gems who wanted to kill him. Maybe he just lucked out that this one person didn’t find him weird. When he entered, she greeted him with a smile.

“Steven!” She said. Steven sat down at his usual booth and she came bouncing over, with her notepad and pen ready. “I didn’t expect you to come in so late, dear.”

“Well,” Steven said. “You know. Stuff.”

If you could call sleeping in “stuff”. His therapist told him sleeping for nineteen hours and waking up in the afternoon wasn’t healthy, but it was a hard habit to break off when he found himself unable to sleep earlier than 2 AM on most nights.

“Well, since you’re already here, what’re you getting?”

“Uh... waffles?” Steven said. “Oh, and some coffee.”

“You already showed up at late noon and are getting a cup of coffee?” She said, laughing. Steven ducked his head in embarrassment. “Oh, don’t worry, darling, I’m just messin’ with ya. I’ll get that rung up for ya.”

She turned and as soon as she was out of sight, Steven took out his phone. He glanced at it for a second before sighing. Connie was busy as of late, and he didn’t exactly want to bother her. Of course, she’d insist he wasn’t bothering when he called, but he knew he didn’t really want to impose. Besides, he could always call her later. Or tomorrow. Whichever the case, he’ll be fine. Probably.

The waitress came back with his coffee on a tray, setting down the cup in front of Steven. He smiled. “Thanks.”

“No problem,” She said. She glanced at his phone. “Your girl not callin’?”

“She’s busy,” He said. “She’s really smart, you know? She has a lot going on in her life.”

“Sure sounds like you got a real catch there, dear.”

He grinned. “I do,” He said. “She’s great.”

She laughed. “Well, she sounds like a keeper. Mind waiting a bit longer? Larry’s managed to mix up sugar and salt again.”

“Don’t worry, not like I’m in a hurry.”

“Great,” She said. She turned and Steven watched her walk off back into the kitchen.

Steven started fiddling with his phone, sending a quick text to the gems that he was fine. He wasn’t really in the mood to deal with them today, if he was being honest. As much as Steven missed them, he was tired. He didn’t really want to carry a conversation with them right now. It’s not like they were particularly overbearing now, nor were they extremely negligent—on some days it was just hard to talk and on others he found it easier.

At the sound of a _ding_ followed by the familiar creak of the door swinging open, Steven looked up, watching as someone entered. He furrowed his brows as he stared at the stranger, the metal of the man’s arm being of obvious interest to Steven. Humans didn’t have technology as advanced as that yet, right? The man’s arm wasn’t the sleekest design (he could already hear Bismuth in his mind saying the welding and metalwork was messy), and the way it moved wasn’t exactly the smoothest. It was clearly clunky, but still—it _moved_. The man sat on one of the stools, opening a laptop. He was clearly engrossed in something on it, with his back hunched over.

“You lookin’ at Arty’s arm?”

Steven jumped back, seeing the waitress setting down his plate of waffles. He cleared his throat and fixed his composure. “I, uh... yeah. I’ve never seen a human with a prosthetic before.”

She ignored Steven’s use of the word human (he really needed to stop using the word like he wasn’t one) and glanced back at the man. “Yeah, he built that thing all by himself. Been wearin’ the thing ever since he lost his arm.” Steven widened his eyes. She sighed. “Kid’s never been proud of the thing.”

“Really?” Steven asked, raising a brow. “How’s that?”

She scratched the back of her head. “Well, I don’t really know much, but a couple a years ago the kid was involved in some sorta tragedy? He used to run in with a couple a other folks here—the three of ‘em called themselves somethin’ called the Mystery Gang or somethin’ like that. Then one day somethin’ just... happened. One of ‘em went missing, kid lost his arm, and the other forgot that the missing one ever existed. He’s never been the same since.”

Steven glanced back at the man. “That sounds horrible,” He said solemnly, looking down at his food. He could relate to that—almost. Trauma. Steven’s had his own fair share of tragedies, but nothing bad ever _stuck_ , at least not really. Mentally? Yes. But every bad thing that ever happened to him always circumvented itself, nothing ever truly being permanent. (He remembers Jasper and her shattered pieces and he shoves that thought away, far in the back of his mind.)

“Yeah,” The waitress said, sighing. “He’s never been much for talking, either. His uncle kept insistin’ he at least get a therapist or somethin’, but he insisted he was fine.” Familiar story.

Steven stared at the man, furrowing his brows. “That doesn’t strike me as healthy.” And it really isn’t, if Steven’s mental breakdown a few months ago was anything to go by. Most humans wouldn’t have a breakdown as embarrassingly public as that, but it was still _bad_.

“Probably isn’t, but not like I can do anythin’ ‘bout it,” She said, sighing. “Well, I gotta go head on back. Got a job to do, ya know. Oh, and if you need anything, just give a wave and I’ll head on over.”

”Yeah,” Steven said. His eyes bore into the back of the stranger, not listening to the waitress. He tore his gaze away and looked back at her. “Thanks.”

“No problem, Steven.”

Later, when Steven was halfway done eating and three-fourths of a way through his coffee, the man slammed his laptop shut and slid off the stool. Steven stared at him, freezing. He walked over to the door, glancing at Steven with a raised brow before shaking his head and turning back toward the exit and heading out.


	2. Past

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sleeplessness and comic books.

He can’t sleep. And not for a lack of trying. On those first few nights, in the wake of the tragedy, he couldn’t really sleep, either. He’d spend hours shifting his blankets, tossing and turning, trying to get _some_ semblance of rest, but he found himself even more tired trying than if he just didn’t try.

Maybe it was the guilt. Arthur didn’t know. It was probably that. There was just something gut wrenchingly painful about waking up in a hospital bed, with no memories of what happened other than _teeth tearing flesh and blood and regret and Lewis Lewis Lewis Lewis_ —

Plus there was the feeling that Lewis’ disappearance had everything to do with him. Arthur bit the inside of his lip. It was selfish, in an odd self-deprecating way, to assume every bad thing that’s ever happened has anything to do with him. He couldn’t help it. And as soon as he blamed himself, his mind would betray him and shoot back with a _you’re greatly overestimating your importance, Arthur_.

He sighed, rubbing his eyes as he yawned. The bright colors on his laptop screen hardly helped his throbbing headache. He pinched the bridge of his nose. That hardly mattered. The self-deprecation he felt was practically irrelevant, compared to what Lewis was probably going through. Lewis could be off somewhere, taken by lawless criminals, could be lost somewhere struggling to survive, or worse—

 _No_ , he wasn’t going there. That wasn’t an option.

Arthur adjusted his position and leaned on his bed’s headboard. His bedroom door was closed, and Galahad wheeled over, squeaking from where he was on the floor.

“Oh, hey buddy,” Arthur said, setting down his laptop and picking up Galahad, keeping the small hamster cupped in his hands. “Sorry. I’ve been busy.” He sighed, getting up and putting Galahad on his worktable. The metal of the wheels glinted as the sun’s rays hit it from the window. He felt pain shoot up in his left arm, but he ignored it. Phantom pains always crept up when he least expected it, but over time it just... became the norm. It was always worse without his prosthetic. Sometimes he’d wake up, reaching for something with his left hand, only to remember.

His curtains had been drawn earlier, not by him, because he really couldn’t be bothered to sometimes, but by Lance. Lance should really stop worrying about him.

He was fine. He wasn’t the one lost.

Arthur walked back over to his bed and sat down. He grabbed his laptop and set it down on his lap. The sleeplessness was hard to deal sometimes.

But it was fine. He’d manage.

* * *

Steven really shouldn’t get involved.

He wasn’t going to. He shouldn’t have to, right? There was absolutely no reason to. Besides, it wasn’t like he even _knew_ any of these people. It’d be incredibly rude to stick his nose in business where he doesn’t belong.

Still, though. It was hard not to think about it.

The feeling of guilt still persisted. He knew, logically, he had nothing to do with that stranger’s life and whatever tragedy struck him. And it wasn’t even a feeling of, I should’ve helped, because there was no way he could have. Instead, it was this lingering feeling of what he could sum up as “Wow, that guy’s life sucks”. He felt... really bad.

Is this what other people (read: strangers) felt when _he_ talked about his shitty life? An insurmountable amount of pity? Man, no wonder people found it awkward to talk to him. He really needs to get better social skills. Not that his life was awful by any means, he thinks, but sometimes it felt that way.

It just kind of sucked that Steven’s immediate reaction to pity is “hey let’s help _another_ random stranger!”. His therapist said it wasn’t healthy to keep taking on that responsibility. And he knew that, but it was hard to let go of old habits. And the instincts that came along with that.

So now, he just took a deep breath, and tried not to internalize it. There’s a part of him that feels like he’s kind of getting obsessed with this because it hit too close to home, and while he didn’t _want_ it to be the case, he was pretty sure it was. Wow, he was getting good at figuring out how his own mind worked. He really had to stop projecting. It’s not like he actually knew the guy, other than the gossip of a small town waitress. He didn’t know what was going on behind the scenes.

For all he knew, she could be lying.

And that’s maybe why he’s inside of a comic book store now. Tome Tomb, it was called. He stared at one of the covers on display, squinting. “Is that the No Home Boys graphic novel adaptation?” He muttered.

“Sure is,” A voice squeaked from behind him. Steven jumped, nearly turning pink on impulse. He hit the shelf in front of him, and he heard the voice mumble apologetically, “Sorry...”

“Ah, don’t be,” Steven said, turning around and smiling, though he was sure it looked more like a grimace than anything. He blinked at the girl in front of him, dressed in full cosplay, her hood shadowing most of her features. One of the most striking things about her were her large oversized round glasses. “It was an honest mistake. So, you were saying?”

“Oh! Well, I was just confirming that that _is_ the No Home Boys graphic novel,” She said. “Though, it’s technically the second version. A year ago they decided to reboot the graphic novel series to make it more accurate to the tone of the original, while still keeping in some of the supernatural elements to draw in younger readers.”

”They rebooted it _again_?” Steven said, flabbergasted. “Oh, _please_ don’t tell me that it sucks.”

”Eh, I’d give it a seven outta ten. It’s not that bad, if you prefer themes over airtight storytelling.” She shrugged.

“Hm,” He said, looking back at the comic. “Well, I might check it out either way. I grew up on the novels, so...”

”I’m guessing you took it hard when you read the graphic novels then huh?” She said, grinning. “Don’t worry. I’ve never been the biggest No Home Boy fan, but as a comic book enthusiast, I can relate to your plight.” She shuddered. “Reboots are the worst.”

He chuckled, picking up the graphic novel. “I know right.”

She squinted, putting a finger on her chin as she stared at him. “I don’t reckon I’ve seen ya before?”

“Ah, no...” Steven said, rubbing the back of his neck. “I’m just stopping by.”

“Aw that sucks, I’d love to talk more about bad comic book rewrites with you,” She said, holding out her hand. Steven stared at it. “Give me your book. I’ll ring it up for you.”

“You work here?” He asked.

“Yep! Ain’t it obvious from my ensemble,” She said, gesturing to her outfit.

He just stared. She looked more like an overeager comic book fan if anything.

“Never mind,” She grumbled, taking the graphic novel from Steven’s hand and walking to the store counter. She went behind the cash register, punching in the bar code to the book.

Steven took out a couple of bills and handed it to her. “Keep the change,” He said.

She huffed. “Sounds like you got cash to spare, bud.”

“My dad’s more or less loaded and I’m practically royalty, so...” God, Steven, why did you say that.

She stared at him. He flushed, darting his eyes away. Then she just laughed. “HA! You’re weird.” His blush deepened. “I like you.”

“...thanks?”

“Don’t mention it!” She said. “Name’s Chloe by the way! If you need anyone helpin’ you around Tempo just drop by!” She lowered her voice, mumbling to herself, “...kinda need an excuse to get outta work.”

“Oh uh, thanks, but no thanks,” Steven said. “I’m Steven by the way.”

She leaned on the counter, resting her cheek on the palm of her hand. “By the by, Stev-o, where you from?”

“Delmarva,” He said. “Beach City.”

“That’s a couple a ways from here,” She said, raising a brow. “How old are you again?”

“...seventeen?” He said sheepishly.

She pursed her lips. “And you’re alone?”

“Yeah?”

“...okay, I’m just not gonna ask why a minor traveled from Delmarva to Texas because I feel like I’d just open a can of worms and no offense I feel like the story leading up to this is really boring,” She said.

Oh, she has no idea. But Steven didn’t want to explain either, so—

Chloe laughed. “I’m just kidding! Tell me _everything_ ,” She said, grinning as she shoved her face close to Steven’s. He took a step back, laughing awkwardly. “Why’re you out here!”

“Oh, no, you’d find it boring,” He said. “I’m just... soul searching.”

Not a lie.

“Well, that’s still very interesting,” She said. “You’re lucky you’re even able to travel. My folks won’t let me go out on my own ‘til I’m 18, which! Lame. Super lame.”

“...yeah, real lame.”

He decided not to point out how he was given way too much freedom as a kid to the point it kind of fucked him over. This is what teens do, right? Complain about their well structured lives only to realize they had it pretty good years later? Steven really didn’t know how to act like a normal teen, much less a normal person.

He heard the bell ring, and turned to the door. Chloe suddenly frowned. “Vivi,” She muttered bitterly.

”Is she your boss?” Steven asked, raising a brow.

“She practically is,” Chloe whispered. “Assistant manager.”

“Oh hey Chloe!” Vivi said, waving. She was holding a box in her hands, packed full with books.

“HEY!” Chloe said, forcing a smile on her face. “You’re back.”

“Yeah, though I left some of the boxes outside. I’ll get to unpacking them later,” Vivi said, walking over. She stopped in front of Steven. “Oh, who’s this!”

Before Steven could answer, Chloe cut in. “Oh, this is Steven! He’s dropping by all the way from Delmarva.”

“Oh, cool!” She said. “Well, I’d love to stay and chat, but you know. Work.”

”Oh, do you need help carrying those boxes?” Steven asked, gesturing to the box in Vivi’s hands. He was more than capable of helping.

“It’s okay!” She said, smiling. “I’m paid to do the heavy lifting around here, anyway, ha ha.”

Chloe rolled her eyes. “Yeah, ‘cept Lewis used to do most of the lifting back then,” She muttered. Steven frowned, and glanced at Vivi. She didn’t seem to have heard Chloe.

Vivi walked off. “...what was that about?” Steven asked.

“You wanna know a secret?” Chloe said, grinning mischievously. “Well, not really a secret, but I think it’s cool.” She pointed at Vivi, who was currently busy restocking shelves. “Viv over there’s been struck by a _curse_ ’.”

Steven stared at Chloe. “A... a curse,” He repeated.

“Yep!” She said, smirking. “A year ago, she went out on an adventure with her boyfriend, Lewis, and their other pal, and then when she came back, she had no memory he ever existed. His folks tried to jog her memory, anything to get her to remember, but every time someone tried, it only got worse.”

Steven’s eyes widened.

“It’s strange, because all her memories are intact. It’s like there’s just this big Lewis shaped hole in her memories,” She said. “And she doesn’t find it worrying at all. And every time we try mentioning it to her... she just forgets we ever brought it up.”

“That... that is worrying,” He said.

“This place is haunted,” Chloe said, sounding far too gleeful at the prospect. “I wonder if a witch cursed her! Or a demon! Or a ghost! Or! A _DEMON GHOST_! Oh god, I hope whoever cursed her is hot.”

Steven took the graphic novel on the counter, ignoring Chloe’s rambles as he stared at Vivi. “...thanks for the book recommendation,” He said offhandedly, before walking out.

* * *

It was night by the time Vivi dropped by. His door was slightly ajar, and she pulled it open even further.

“Arty?” She asked. The room was shrouded in darkness, the only light illuminating the room coming from his laptop. The light lit up Arthur’s face, his eye bags all the more pronounced by the shadows caused by the harsh light of his screen. She sighed in frustration, flicking open the switch on the left side of the door. Arthur blinked, before turning his head toward the door, clearly adjusting his eyes to the light.

“Oh, hey Viv,” He said, yawning. He waved at her.

“Oh Christ, did you sleep at all last night?” She said.

“Oh yeah, totally,” Arthur said. He was lying, but she wasn’t gonna push it. He never liked it when she did, and she was too tired to bother fighting him now. Besides, she wasn’t here to lecture him.

“Okay...” She said. He knew she didn’t believe him, did he? “Anyway! That’s not why I’m here.”

He sat up, leaning back on his computer chair as he swiveled to turn to her. She moved closer to him with a grin. “I found us a job.”

He blinked. “A... job?”

“We haven’t done one in so long!” She said, grinning as she took out her phone. She handed it to him, the phone open on an email she had received this morning.

“...a haunted mansion in the middle of the woods,” He read, looking horrified. He had paled, but she ignored it. Arthur was always kind of a coward, which is why Vivi and L.... always had to look out for him. Besides, as much as he pretended not to like it she knew he secretly liked their company. “Vivi, I don’t think—“

“It’s a great idea,” She said. “C’mon, Arthur, we haven’t done one of these haunts in a year!”

“Yeah, and for good reason,” Arthur muttered, glaring at something off the side. “Last time was a disaster.”

“It’s been a year,” She said, sighing. She knelt down to his level, putting a hand on his shoulder. “I know it’s hard, and you lost your arm, and you keep beating yourself up over what happened but... it’ll be like old times, Arthur. You’ll have me! And Mystery. A—“

“—I’m not going,” He said, cutting her off.

She got up. “Okay.”

“...what?” He said, looking at her. ”I thought you’d be more insistent.”

“Well, you’re clearly uncomfortable and I am asking a lot from you,” She said, sighing. “Look, I just thought maybe...”

“...that maybe all I need is some sense of normalcy? Fat chance,” Arthur muttered bitterly. “Nothing’s been normal since then, Vivi. I don’t think you can even begin to understand that.”

”But I do,” Vivi said, frustrated. “I was there too, you know—“

“—I _know_ ,” Arthur said. There was something unsaid in the way he said that, the way he just sounded so _defeated_. She knew what he meant. _But sometimes it feels like you were never there at all._ He sighed, burying his head in his hands. “Just give me some time to think, Viv.”

“...fine,” She said, biting her lip. She was treading on eggshells here. She was lucky Arthur even gave her a maybe. She smiled at him, albeit a bit forced. “If you ever agree to come, just... shoot me a text. I’ll be waiting.”

And so she left.

She sighed as she did so, however. Things had never been the same since the previous year. She hardly remembered what happened, but something about the Cave changed Arthur. There was this deep and desperate look in his eyes whenever he looked at her that wasn’t there before, this dark and awful sorrow that she couldn’t possibly understand. She knew he lost his arm but... what else happened?

She wasn’t stupid. She knew something happened, but every time she tried to think about it her head throbbed and it _hurt_ to think about it. She didn’t even know what she was trying to think about.

Still.

The job she got wasn’t for her.

Their old adventures were. They were mostly self-indulgent odd jobs Vivi took and dragged the two of them along, but in the end they usually ended up being less spooky and more boring. Arthur never liked them much. For every five bad adventures, she managed to luck out and actually get something vaguely resembling supernatural. It wasn’t as exciting as she’d pictured, but it was fun. And with her two favorite people beside her, she had nothing to complain about.

But this one... this was for Arthur. If they could manage this, maybe things would go back to normal.

She could only hope.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Im not very happy with this chapter and its unedited so please bear with me! Ill try to update sooner and make the next chapter a lil bit better! And thanks to everyone who commented in the last chapter, it really means a lot and helps fuel my writing spirit lol


	3. Repair

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steven breaks his car.

“...that sounds like a bad idea, Steven.”

Steven sighed, picking at his food. Connie’s lips were set into a line, clear even from the wall that was Steven’s phone screen. “I know,” he started, running a hand through his hair. “I still feel bad, you know?”

“I know you do,” Connie sighed. “And that’s what I’m worried about.”

“I think I might be internalizing this situation too much,” Steven said. “Not to mention what that girl said...”

“The curse thing, right?” Connie said. Steven nodded. “Look, if you’re really worried about it, why not call the gems and—“

“N-no!” He said a little too quickly and a little too loudly. He flushed as the other diner guests turned to stare at him. He ducked his head and grabbed the phone, pulling the screen closer to him. The small box that captured his face showed a rather unflattering angle of him, but at least he got to see Connie up close. “I-I mean... I can handle it.”

“Are you sure?”

“Positive,” He said, smiling at her. He was lying again, and he knew it. She probably did, too, but it wasn’t as if he couldn’t _handle_ it. He wasn’t breaking down, and this wasn’t a case of denial like it was months before. He was better now, and he didn’t want to be treated like glass.

“...okay,” Connie conceded. “But if it goes too far, call me.”

“I will,” Steven said. “Talk to you soon?”

She smiled. “Yeah.”

“Love you.”

“Love you too.”And he dropped the call. He sighed, looking back down at his breakfast. A stack of pancakes and orange juice. It looked absolutely decadent, if he was being honest. He took the bottle of syrup at the side and poured some on top, taking a bite as he scrolled through his phone. It was hard to forget about what Chloe told him yesterday, and it was even harder to try not to do anything about it.

It was this town’s problem, not his.

...god, he feels bad about it. He of all people might be able to do something about this. He had mental powers—he can _fix_ this! But, god, he shouldn’t have to force himself to do these things anymore. He shouldn’t have to keep fixing other people’s messes—

But even if he didn’t _have_ to, he thought. That doesn’t mean he shouldn’t.

He took another bite of his pancakes, swallowing it down as he thought for a moment. “You look lost in thought,” The waitress said, leaning on the side of his booth.

“Overheard you talkin’ with your girl. Wanna tell me what that’s about?”

“Remember when you told me about, uh... what’s his name again...” Steven thought for a moment, his mind coming up with a blank. The waitress raised a brow.

“Arthur?” She said.

“Yeah,” He said, snapping a finger at that. “Well, I dropped by the comic book store yesterday and a girl told me about Vivi?”

“Chloe,” The waitress said. Steven nodded. She snorted. “God, that girl should really stop yappin’ ‘bout other people’s personal business. Granted, I guess that makes me a bit of a hypocrite, but...”

“You know her?”

“Just about everyone knows everybody ‘round these parts,” She said. ”Chloe’s my niece. She’s a bit of a talker, that’s for sure.”

Steven laughed. “Yeah... she’s a bit overexcited. But that’s fine. I like hearing people talk about their interests.”

“Well, that’s a first. Most folks find her brand of annoying weird and walk off.” The waitress shrugged. “You’re a good kid, you know that, right?”

Steven nodded, staring at his food. Well, that’s something he kind of knew, but at the same time... he remembered his breakdown and the subsequent damage he caused. Despite the therapy, and despite the support everyone’s given him... he still feels _fake_ , though not to the same extent he had before. Was he a good kid? Questionable. But he didn’t terribly deny that on a constant basis anymore, which gave him some points.

“Well, I gotta head back over. Gotta do my job, y’know.” She wiped her hands on her uniform and smiled at him before walking off. He waved after her, before sighing. He wasn’t exactly a bad person, but he couldn’t quite accept his goodness after what he did to Jasper and White.

No amount of reassurance and therapy could ever make him shake off the guilt he felt thinking about that. It made it more bearable, but... he still did those things.

“A good kid.” A good kid doesn’t try to murder people.

It makes it almost worse, then, when the gems never really... acknowledged how he shattered Jasper. And his admission to attempting to shatter White. They _talked_ about it, but those confessions had been overshadowed by the fact Steven had immediately gone on a monstrous rampage and nearly destroyed the Temple. Those things had always been an afterthought—events that had led to his breakdown. And it was unfair, Steven thought. It wasn’t fair to Jasper, most especially. He _killed_ her. And not completely by accident, either. He knew what he was doing. He just underestimated Jasper’s own abilities.

He thought about this a lot. He should probably write this down, for his next therapy session.

Steven bit the inside of his lip and leaned back on his chair.

He stared back down at his food.

Suddenly, he didn’t feel like eating anymore.

* * *

Tempo was hardly a busy town. Chloe knew this from experience. It survived off people on road trips passing by, and the one or two people who found out about Pepper Paradiso and drove all the way here to get a bite. And it drew in horror fanatics who heard about what happened at the Cave—loonies who wanted to get a taste of what happened. She scoffed, leaning back from where she sat on the sidewalk as she thought about that. She can understand intrigue, but the two surviving people who were involved didn’t even want to talk about what happened even _to each other_. She stared at the sky, before a sudden cry alerted her towards the diner her aunt worked at.

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!”

She immediately ran over.

Chloe had to suppress a laugh.

There was Steven, looking like someone had just been killed in front of him.

“Oh, noooooooo—!” He exclaimed. There was a look of horror on his face. He fell on his knees, tears running down his cheeks.  
Steven’s car was absolutely _wrecked_. She walked over, watching Steven weep as he stared at his broken down car.

“What happened?”

“Someone hit my car and drove off,” Steven said, standing up and walking over to the car. He hugged the trunk, caressing the metal as he kept crying.

“You’re awfully sensitive,” Chloe remarked, sucking on a lollipop. She stared at Steven from behind a pair of sunglasses. “Just get it repaired. I’m sure Lance’ll give you a discount.”

Steven looked at her for a second, before blinking in recognition. “...you’re not in cosplay.”

“What, didn’t recognize me?” She said, smirking. “I have a shift later, so ‘m gonna get in makeup soon, but for now I’m lettin’ my face breathe.”

He nodded, before glancing back at the car. “...this is really gonna push back my schedule,” He muttered.

“Are you in any hurry?” She asked, raising a brow. She took out the lollipop and frowned. “This might put a damper on things.”

“What? No,” Steven said, rubbing the back of his neck. “It’s just, I didn’t expect to stay here long, you know? But it’s fine. I can afford to stay a bit longer.”

She snorted. “Rich.”

He sighed. “I’m aware.”

She meant that as a joke. When Steven didn’t follow up, Chloe stared at him. “...wait, really?”

“Aaaanyway,” Steven said, obviously keen on moving forward with the conversation. She wasn’t gonna lie. Steven was fairly attractive. Something about his voice, his almost awkward yet confident demeanor, and that hair... _swoon_. She leaned on the trunk of the car, moving a bit closer to Steven. If she wasn’t gonna get her undead boyfriend, maybe she could just get hitched to a mysterious stranger who was sensitive and sweet. “Is there a repair shop somewhere nearby?”

Steven didn’t really seem like he had a girlfriend, anyway, Chloe thinks. “Yeah—Kingsman Mechanics. Lance runs the shop. I could take you there.””Thanks, I’d appreciate that,” He said, smiling at her.

She smiled back at him. “C’mon, I’ll show you there.”

* * *

Repair work was like clockwork for Arthur. It was a mundane task, monotonous, really, but the repetitiveness gave him a sense of calm. It was a welcome reprieve from the incessant unpleasantries his mind bombarded him with on a day to day basis. It was easy to get lost in the motions, focusing on the job and nothing else.

He used to complain about it, too. Back when he was more ambitious, when his biggest projects were half-assed robot prototypes that never worked. When he had potential, when Lewis and Vivi thought he could amount to something more than this sleepy town.

Now, he hardly cared.

He wheeled himself out from under the car he had been working on, sitting up and wiping his face with the towel he had placed on the side earlier. It was covered in grease and oil but it was better than nothing.

Arthur got up, heading back into the shop to get himself a glass of water.

“—and then someone crashed into his car,” He heard Chloe say. He looked over to the counter, where Lance was listening to her. “He’s kind of in a hurry.”

“I’m really not,” Another person said. Arthur glanced at the voice. He was greeted with the sight of an older teenager wearing a pink sports jacket and a black shirt emblazoned with a star. He thinks he’s seen this kid before. “But uh, it’d be appreciated if you could fix it up.”

”What’s goin’ on?” Arthur asked, walking over. The kid stared at him, eyes wide. Arthur felt... somewhat uncomfortable at his gaze. It felt scrutinizing, almost _accusatory_.

“Steven broke his car,” Chloe said. Arthur guessed the kid was Steven. “Some asshole crashed into it.”

“Hey, language,” Arthur said jokingly.

She stuck her tongue out. “I’m 16, I can say whatever I want.”

“Arty, get a look at the car,” Lance barked.

“Yes sir,” Arthur said. “Now where’s this busted up car of yours?”

Steven flushed before heading outside. Arthur sighed, moving to follow him, Chloe tagging along close behind.

As soon as he stepped out of the shop, he saw the car. A Dondai, he recognizes, widening his eyes. “Is that a...” He muttered.

“A Dondai Supremo,” Steven said, smiling. He looked almost proud. “It was, uh, my dad’s, then he gave it to me during my 16th birthday. He really liked this car, too, which kinda makes it a lot more special, honestly.”

“I dig it,” Arthur said, walking over. The damage wasn’t _rough_ , but there was a dent on the side of the car. He cringed. This was probably a twenty year old car, and it got carelessly hit by some rando on the road. “Vintage cars are great. If I had the money I’d totally collect them, honestly.”

He glided his hand on the metal of the car. “She looks like a sweet ride.”

”Yeah,” Steven said. “We’ve been through a lot together, me and this car.”

”Cars are always there for you,” Arthur agreed.

Chloe let out a loud cartoonish snore. “You two are boring. Steven, stop feeding Arthur’s stupid metal kink. I’m heading inside.”

Arthur rolled his eyes and watched Chloe go back.

“Is she always like that?” Steven asked.

Arthur scoffed. “Always.”

“Oh.” Steven stared at his sandals, biting his lip.

The air was suddenly filled with an awkward tension. Arthur sighed. This always happens. Especially with strangers.

He raised his metal arm. “Yes, the arm is real.”

Steven’s head jerked up, face flushed. He looked... a lot pinker than most people did when embarrassed. “I—that’s not—“

Arthur just laughed. ”To be fair, it’s not everyday people see a working metal arm,” He said. He set the arm down. “Anyway, your car’s probably gonna take an hour to fix. The damage isn’t a lot—just a minor dent. I can get this fixed up in a short while.”

Steven nodded. “Okay.”

He was avoiding looking at Arthur, Arthur noticed. Steven was the shy type, then. It’s certainly a wonder how he managed to get tangled up in Chloe, then. Arthur just nodded back. He knew it was hard to talk to strangers, so he could certainly sympathize with Steven here. “Okay.”

Steven hurried back, clearly wanting to leave immediately.

Arthur watched him leave.

What a weird kid.

He probably should’ve pressed more, Arthur thought. What was a teenager doing out here in Texas with his own car? He was probably going somewhere, but... in Tempo? Literally the middle of nowhere?

It was certainly strange.

Arthur looked back to the car.

Well, time to do what he did best.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> not my best work and theres a couple of inconsistencies im sure but its kinda late and im tired so im not gonna go back and edit :’))

**Author's Note:**

> I just thought arthur and steven might make good friends ok theyre both accidental murderers with trauma


End file.
